This invention relates to a slide out table for use on a pickup truck or the like, and more particularly to an extensible table adapted to effectively increase the utility of a small truck.
It has been common practice in the case of small trucks such as those commonly called "pickup" trucks to build a rack or superstructure which will provide a supporting framework for articles of unusual length such as ladders and scaffolding. Thus, contractors, painters, carpenters, bricklayers and construction workers in general, have felt the need of providing means in combination with a small truck for carrying long articles supported longitudinally of the truck.
A number of systems have also been developed for facilitating the placement and removal of freight articles on and from the load floor or bed of a truck. The full utilization of the space above the load floor usually requires a considerable amount of shifting of the articles from the rear to the front after they have been placed on the rear portion of the truck floor, either from ground level, or from a loading dock. Accessibility of particular freight articles within a large pile usually requires that enough space remain clear for the workman to move around and perform what amounts to a sorting operation. All of this space is, of course, wasted for purposes of carrying load.
One approach to this problem has been to assure a fairly free movement of articles in a front-to-rear direction through the use of roller-supported panels upon which freight articles are placed. Standard roller conveyors have been mounted on the floor of trucks for this purpose, with the load items being placed directly on large sheets of plywood. More sophisticated versions of this same general principle involve the use of load carriers supported on rollers engaging rails secured to the truck floor. Systems of this nature are analogous to the drawer-suspension mechanism frequently found in filing cabinets.
One problem associated with this type of device is the fact that rearwardly-extended positions of the platform result necessarily in a cantilever support of the load, which places a tremendous stress requirement on the portion of the structure which still remains engaged with the rails. When mechanism of this type is used in conjunction with a truck, a special problem exists in the fact that a loading dock will usually not be in alignment with the load carrier in the rearwardly-extended position, thus resulting in the need for some sort of auxiliary support for the extended portion of the structure, unless unduly heavy and expensive components are used which will sustain the cantilever supporting position.
It is the purpose of this invention to provide a highly effective, slidably mounted table for the bed of a truck, that overcomes these and other such problems.